


Ghosting

by Kimumeeemu



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom
Genre: A little angst, Alexis | Quackity Angst, Alexis | Quackity-centric, Angry Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bittersweet Ending, Clay | Dream & Technoblade Friendship (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream and Toby Smith | Tubbo are Siblings, Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Descriptions of grief, Dream Team SMP Spoilers, Enemies to Friends, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Floris | Fundy Needs A Hug, Ghost Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Ghost TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Ghost Wilbur Soot, Ghost!Dream, Ghost!Tommy, Ghostbur, Grief/Mourning, Humor, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Long-Haired Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Non-Graphic Violence, POV Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), POV TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Pain, Platonic relationships only - Freeform, Sad Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Suicidal TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit is Not Okay (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), dream and tommy centric, glatt, mostly - Freeform, ok who wants some blue ig, some other povs too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:01:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28257357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimumeeemu/pseuds/Kimumeeemu
Summary: Dream finds himself, dead, at the hands of the very 16 year old he’d exiled.Also Tommy’s there and neither can leave, they’re stuck dealing with the two living who might be able to help them...Unfortunately those two are Technoblade and quackity
Comments: 50
Kudos: 626





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HI THIS IS MY FIRST FANFIC BUT IM REALLY EXCITED TO BE WRITING IT! I love the idea of ghost Dream and ghost Tommy, so heres This!  
> Basically how Tommy and dream work,  
> Tommy Can Remember his time with two (living) people, but can be seen by everyone  
> Dream can only be seen by two (living) people, unfortunately these are the only two he doesn’t remember

_**“PLEASE WAIT-I ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE LEFT”** _

These were the last words Dream had uttered, the last words spoken by one of the most dangerous and powerful members of the entire smp, a man able to tear down countries and create them with one snap; begging for his life at the hands of a 16 year old with one missing shoe.

To explain that we’d need to Flashback back to earlier that day,

Tommy had been at his base; aimlessly staring down the winding bridge he’d made, an overwhelming blanket of heat surrounding him, which caused sweat to bead up on his forehead and neck. The day had been uneventful, the same as all the rest-he’d woke up a few hours too late, and stayed in bed a few more even after, before being forced up by his one (and only) friend dream.  
They’d planned to mine again, Tommy figured it useless seeing as his things were blown to ash every few days, but it was at least time to make his friend happy.

Dream actually hadn’t had many plans for that day, picking at a particular spot of moss(?) growing on the walls, he pondered, pondered about how he ended up here.

he supposed it was because of Tommy.

He couldn’t say he felt great about what he was doing to the kid, the boys self worth dipping everyday and his sanity falling off him at the rate his shoes did; but he’d rationalized that he didn’t really have a choice, Tommy had burned George’s house, he’d blackmailed Dream with the threat to burn spirit (or what remained), having seemingly zero regrets or consciousness of his actions, it was only a matter of time before he started actually targeting...say, George, or even Dream himself. It was what had to be done.

He found himself having to repeat this back every hour or so, keeping the crushing guilt at bay with a large stick. 

Dream walked the bridge, Tommy following close behind and occasionally asking wether Dream would let him see what was in l’manberg, always being answered by a quick “no.”

He eventually went quiet, instead aiming his eyes to the lava below, bubbling and roaring, the heat intense and thick. The bubbles were almost beautiful, in a strange twisted way-they just bubbled below the long winding bridge he himself had made, no real rhythm but yet they calmed him, like an old melody he’d heard as a child. 

Pop

Pop

Pop

Pop

_Pop_

The last sent a splash of lava, despite being far too high to ever be hit, Tommy covered his face. He let his arms fall slightly and peeked out from behind them, his eyes focusing and unfocusing, he then felt them drift to his friend, his only friend. He didn’t know what came over him, it would’ve seemed like revenge or even just one of pure, unbridled hatred to anyone else who had walked in on the act, but to Tommy it was a sacrifice, an act of comradeship and care. He let his arms grip the taller mans waist, and with all his might-pushed off bridge.

-

Dream felt a tug, and then before he could even let out a yell he found himself hurdling towards a bubbling lava pit

In a pure state of adrenaline he shouted out

“TOMMY-?! WAIT PLEASE WAIT I ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE LEFT”

His stomach dropped, his jaw dropped, he couldn’t even begin to process the events that had happened, seemingly in less than a minute. His eyes had grown as wide as dinner plates, and his mouth was slightly agape.

Tommy, on the other hand, seemed gleeful; his smile stretching across both cheeks and his eyes with the familiar sparkle that they’d had long before the wars.

It was quite the sight, honestly

the heat flicking closer to them and the wind caused from the speed of the fall rustling their hair and warming their skin.

Flicks of lava hit dreams cheeks, the sensation of burning causing tears to prick at his eyes.

Then, almost as soon as the fall began, the world was consumed

First a flash of red, then white, then nothing. Just like that, dream and Tommy were dead.


	2. Rival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno? Blade? Also surprise surprise it’s Tommy and Dream and there is a cabin.  
> Basically Dream wakes up and discovers an unfortunate Ghost pal (he won’t admit he’s dead yet tho, he’s in denial, don’t worry ab it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEHE TECHNO IS HERE YAYYYYYY Im excited to write this dynamic 
> 
> Also since Techno shot down the blood family dynamic so here’s....this...instead, which honestly is just as fun to write so thank u techno

Dream blinked open his eyes,  
Upon gaining consciousness, the first sensation he felt was HEAT-the second was the shuddering dry chills you get when feverish.  
He was in a bed, but he didn’t know who’s, or where exactly it was, rolling onto a hard wood floor he was surprised that he didn’t hit it, more just lay atop it.  
This was the first shocking thing, but he was in denial and chose to ignore this glaring issue.  
The second problem was that everything was hot, he hadn’t felt like this since he was sick in bed with a fever of 104, the world had those waves you’d see when driving in deserts or other hot locations  
He couldn’t quite remember the name.  
As the urge to fall back asleep began to overtake him, he was jolted by a hand, this one even hotter, it was like a branding iron pressing flat against his shoulder.  
Dream fell back and whipped his head to where the hand attached, which, no surprise, was the one memory burned into his mind.  
Tommy.  
They stared in silence, Dream took this time to scan the other-his hair flamed and bubbled up, like...lava. And his skin was much brighter, with a red orange blush singing his cheeks, his eyes pierced blue, and somehow looked both dead and yet burning with life at the same interval.  
He decided to focus then on the others arms, his hands were charred, and his clothes remained the same, if not a little burnt.  
Interrupting him, the blonde cleared his throat and tilted his head at Dream, as if trying to signal something-which Dream took to mean “stand up”.  
Rising to his feet was easy enough, but his legs felt sore and his arms were stinging and achy; still though, better than being in actual lava, he supposed.  
“Heyyy Big man! Get up, cmon cmon”  
Tommy was much higher in energy than usual, but had no recollection of why, he stared down the taller, his hair was flaming slightly, and his freckles looked like flecks of fire, glowing and burning bright.  
Another notable detail was his mask, it was almost entirely broken, revealing green brown eyes, and more firelight freckles.

It took a minute for Dream to respond, and when he did it wasn’t interesting at all  
  
“Hi...? Tommy?”  
Tommy scoffed, he expected a lame response like that, but was still irritated by it  
“Pleasure seeing you too, and before you ask, I don’t know why we’re here-I don’t know”  
Dream shook his head, “actually, I was gonna ask WHERE ‘here’ is.”  
Ah, well that was a good question.  
Tommy looked for some sort of way to see what lay outside, he darted his head around before eventually catching a glimpse of the velvet curtains shielding a window across from him, shrugging he stepped over gingerly, and then with all his might yanked them open.  
This proved to be a mistake  
The light he was struck with on opening them was painful, it was like having a flashlight shone directly into your pupils. He ajusted a little after some frantic blinking, and turned back to dream, who was now expectantly sitting on the bed  
Tommy looked back out, what he was seeing was snow, quite a lot of it in fact-despite his eyes adjusting a little, it was still almost blinding, instantly he shielded his face with one hand and parted his fingers ever so slightly as to get a better look at the landscape.  
...Yup, it was definitely snow, he still didn’t know where he was though, but he assumed a forest cabin based off the pine trees and wooden almost nostalgic interior.  
After some consideration, Tommy decided he’d answer the question with another question  
“Hey, you by any chance gone to any snow biomes recently..?”  
By the look now painted on dreams face, Tommy could assume that was a no.  
“Sorry big man.”  
Dream sighed, his shoulders sinking and shaking a little more than he’d hoped.  
He knew something was wrong-and he knew exactly what it was, but he didn’t want to acknowledge it.  
“Fuck.”  
Tommy slumped to the floor, letting out a hushed “god” escape his lips, a pang of guilt hit him but with no explanation or reason given, he furrowed his brow and darted his eyes to dream, who looked...sad? Annoyed? Tommy couldn’t quite place the emotion but it didn’t look pleased. He shrugged it off, assuming he was making a similar face, and tilted his head up to look at the ceiling.

Hours had passed, Tommy noticed that time didn’t register for him, least not in the way it used to, and wondered if Dream had found similar issues in himself.  
Some time after this he heard a door creak open, accompanied with the sound of rushing wind and loud snow boots; Dream clearly heard this too as his head shot up from where it had been resting on his palms, and tilted it at Tommy, asking a question without saying a word.  
Tommy nodded, and they staggered up; meandering towards the other room where the sound had come from.

“Whoever this is has a nice cabin”, was the first thing Dream thought of,  
The inside was cozy, It’s ceiling was a few feet taller than Dream would be if he had been standing there himself, and the floorboards were a little crooked and dark brown; It was a nice wood, there were lanterns strewn inside providing a soft warm light, as well as a furnace and a main room with a large rug-he wondered if the person who lived here was quaint as their home made them out to be.  
These thoughts were cut off when Tommy let out a small gasp and stopped, Dream quirked an eyebrow and peered behind the boy, (who had been leading the way, for whatever reason) what he saw caused him to reel back, slapping his hands over his mouth before leaning over to confirm what he had just seen.  
Technoblade.  
The man was covered in snow, a blue coat hanging over his shoulders and his crown absent; he dusted off his boots on a straw welcome mat, and then chucked them off, which launched them careening into a very plush looking rocking chair.  
Tommy had gone completely silent, his jaw was clenched shut and his eyes had widened significantly; they both just stared at the man, a strand of faded pink hair falling into his face and being blown away by a targeted gust of breath.  
Techno was a strong individual, rival to dream or sapnap in terms of pure physical power-and even more impressive, he was able to defeat dream in a duel not too long ago. They kept a friendly rivalry, and both had considered the other a semi close friend.  
Tommy, on the other hand, had been like technos little brother, not blood related, but he’d known him since the kid was born.  
This was mostly because Tommy was Phil’s kid, and Techno was Phil’s best friend- though he’d always been younger and honestly felt more like Phil’s annoying baby cousin that the older had to look after on weekends; which might’ve been partially true, but regardless they were as close as could be-techno adopting a sibling like bond with Wilbur and Tommy the second he saw them, and being there constantly.  
When Tommy was 14 techno had stopped appearing as much, only sometimes coming over on special occasions, before eventually just vanishing.  
He felt a little bad about that, Tommy had liked him a lot, and had always looked up to him-he’d been devastated when Phil told him he’d disappeared without a trace.  
This changed when the wars started, Techno became the enemy to Tommy, and he couldn’t really blame him. After the fall of l’manberg Techno had bumped into Phil, and noticed the body in his arms, meanwhile Phil had noticed the bounty now tied to Technos head.

They moved to a cabin deep in the woods shortly after that.

It was a nice life, retirement and all, but techno did miss the thrill he got when fighting, but he shrugged it off with hunting and potatoes. As a runaway criminal trying to live a quiet peaceful life, Techno had accounted for a lot of circumstances-capture, people going after Phil, execution even; what he hadn’t accounted for was seeing his rival and his brother floating a few centimetres above the floor, staring at him.


	3. Hope (and Phil)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno sad? MaybE? My man doesn’t need this stress bro  
> Or basically  
> Tommy has a bad memory and techno has to deal with all this shit.

There was a clatter as Techno dropped whatever weapon he’d been offhandedly twirling just a moment ago, he felt his jaw drop but didn’t have the mind to clamp it shut, instead opting to stare at the two figures clearly visible, that had shown up in his own home.  
After much time it was actually Dream who cut through the silently growing tension, clearing his throat he thought up some small talk  
“Technoblade! I’ve heard of you!! Dude you’re the coolest, I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you”  
He beamed, the excitement pushing down the steadily rising discomfort in his chest cavity  
This was shot back up, however, when techno grimaced and responded simply  
“We’ve met.”  
Tommy looked back and forth, as though he was a kid who’s parents were arguing, he eventually grinned and said  
“Well I’ve met Techno for sure!”  
Dream rolled his eyes  
“I’m sure you have Tommy.”  
“No I seriously have! He was my uncle or something”  
“No he wasn’t, you don’t even look similar”  
“Fuck you, you don’t know my life, green bastard”  
Dream opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Techno, who’d shrunk down significantly; whatever confident air he’d had just minutes ago had long dissolved.  
“Listen—I-I’m gonna need a minute, if you two could just...be quiet for a bit, or maybe like..go outside if you need to air whatever this is out”  
Tommy looked to Dream, who simply shrugged, they nodded but stayed put.  
Techno saw this and sighed, trudging to a wall nearby and slumping down, meeting the floor with a hearty thud.  
Neither Dream nor Tommy had much to say, simply sitting and examining the cabin, occasionally exchanging uncomfortable glances as the silence grew heavier and heavier with each passing second. Eventually something did happen, after hours of sitting in dead quiet, techno spoke  
“Phil’s still out”  
Tommy, ever the curious, drafted over to the man who had now halfway balled himself up, he said nothing but slid next to his friend  
The other acknowledged it with a small nod, before turning his head to face the rocking chair, it sat, empty.  
“I don’t know what I’ll say. I don’t know how to explain this.”  
Tommy perked up at any chance of conversation, but was too confused to offer any worthwhile input, he bit the inside of his cheek as if deep in thought, before deciding on a good question  
“What do you mean? Whats ‘this’?”  
The other looked at him like he’d gone insane, and Tommy regretted his question, as it must have been a rather stupid one.  
“What the f—You’re dead, Tommy, you’re a ghost.”  
“Oh.”  
“That’s ‘this’”  
Tommy retreated into his shirt slightly, and just like that the silence was back  
Tommy didn’t exactly know who this “Phil” guy techno kept talking about was, but he hoped that another presence would cut through the tension  
He didn’t have much time to wallow in this mixture of awkward silence and self pity, however, as techno breathed out a quiet chuckle, devoid of any humor  
“He’s gonna be devastated, y’now. I really don’t know how I’m gonna break this to him.”  
Letting this rest in the air, Tommy thought up his next sentence, wording was important. He looked to dream, the other ghost had found a way to walk through things and was giving that a go, sighing and looking back he clenched his fists, as if he needed bracing-he didn’t know why he was so nervous to ask a simple question but something about it felt so very bad, and he couldn’t begin to pinpoint why.  
It’s just a normal question  
He shifted his gaze, first to techno, then to the floor.  
“Yeahh, um, Techno?”  
The piglin shot an unreadable look in response to his name being mentioned, and grunted.  
Tommy felt sort of like a kid who’d broken a vase, a blush crept to his cheeks and he retreated even further into the depths of his shirt  
“Wwwwwhho..is Phil”  
He heard his brothers breathing hitch, Techno had fallen dead silent yet again, but this time Tommy didn’t really want to break it. In fact he might even go as far as to say he’d actively try to prevent this silence from being broken. Techno’s eyes had gotten much wider than they were a second ago, and he looked as though of someone even brushed against him he’d break-Tommy had never seen Techno this...fragile, before.

-

Techno wasn’t sure what he wanted, he wanted to cry probably, but that wasn’t happening-maybe he wanted to be angry? No he’d tried that 3 hours ago and it didn’t work; he wanted to wake up and have Tommy be alive and annoying. He wanted to have a friendly sparring match with Dream. Hell, he wanted Wilbur back too actually, now that he was thinking about it. He just wanted things to go back to...even semi normal, just a dot of normalcy amongst all this would be fine.  
All things considered, he wanted Phil.  
God, where was he??  
Seeing Dream as energetic as he’d been before the war, Techno wondered if he was cursed, ghosts like this always gravitated to him for whatever reason; which he wasn’t a fan of, he never got time to grieve for anything because the next day you’d just...see them, not quite there, a memory of someone you loved manifesting in your home. He was sick of it.

However, upon the realization that he was being stared at, Dream turned to Techno and stuck his tongue out, and Techno wondered if maybe there was hope for gaining the memories his friends needed to finally rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry late chapter I had Christmas stuFFff , but since I don’t need to do that I’ll probably upload faster/more


	4. Hot ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream runs into an unlikely person and struggles with some...news

-  
Quackity was an odd fellow, he took very little seriously, and seemed to have a way of lightening whatever atmosphere had been lingering; a funny and carefree kinda guy.

That trait is why it was so surprising when he’d lost his cool at Dream, he’d been calm in tone, but the anger dripping off his words was audible. Dream didn’t talk to many other people after that, he stuck near tommy and ghost Wilbur for the most part-the last person besides Tommy he’d interacted with had been Techno, though brief, it was at least nice exchange.  
He didn’t quite remember now, reminiscing on past experiences two people were notably absent;  
Quackity and Technoblade.  
He’d heard of Techno for sure, why bad had talked to him about the piglin nonstop, but he’d always assumed the man was a myth of sorts.  
Yet here he was, in his cabin, watching as he sat dumbfounded in the corner  
It was surreal.

Deciding he’d had enough of jumping through wooden walls, Dream voicelessly signaled to Tommy that he’d be exploring a little, Tommy shot him a nod and thumbs up, before turning his attention back to the other man in the room. 

-

It was cold, probably, noise was muffled and everything was white and powered with a new glaze of snow. Dream felt hot, but he’d ajusted at this point, a scorching summer afternoon against a frosted backdrop, it probably could’ve been poetic.  
As he drifted further from the log cabin he noticed a landscape coming into view, a city? A flag flew proudly in the sky and, oh, he recognized this place.  
Dream grinned and dashed towards l’manberg, if he could find Sapnap and George then he’d be good as when he wasn’t-...this. He didn’t want to say dead, reasoning that he’d fix it soon, but he had to find people he knew first, being left with Tommy was a chore and he didn’t know Techno well enough to ask for help.  
As he narrowed in he spotted a few people, his little brother-Tubbo, Fundy, and another man he didn’t recognize.  
He knew Tubbo would be happy to see him, Fundy too-the fox was most definitely at least somewhat in love; his face brightening whenever he and Dream met eyes. The other man he wasn’t sure, he looked friendly enough-a beanie covering black hair and a grinning confident expression across his face; his skin was scarred, the ghost of a devastating burn stretched across his left half, and a few deep gashes cut into his bottom lip and what was visible of his arms.  
His posture was one of a man who’d emerged triumphant; he was loose, but still stood confident. Dream was drawn towards him, not quite sure why exactly-he pinned it on the overall force being put out. The guy exuded a jovial-almost infectious energy, Dream had picked up on the presence of said mystery man as soon as he’d noticed him, and he’d quickly found himself walking steadily over to the group, in a strange trance of sorts.  
On arrival he waved, a little awkwardly, he didn’t know how Tubbo would react, seeing as their last few interactions had been anything but pleasant; Fundy too-god he was nervous.  
Dream coughed and waved again, this time catching the attention of the man in the beanie, who whipped his head to where the ghost was standing, barely corporeal.  
What was strange, though, was that he was the only one who turned. No one else seemed to notice.  
Beanie man jolted at the sight, rubbing his eyes, then jolting again upon seeing that Dream was still standing in front of him. He shook his head and looked over to Tubbo and Fundy, both of whom were still talking; sputtering out nonsense he gestured to dream in hopes they’d see it too  
They did not  
Fundy quirked an eyebrow, he glanced to Tubbo, who looked just as confused; they both turned a concerted glance to the other man, still sputtering in disbelief.

“Um..Big Q?”  
Tubbo was the first to speak, the same concern painted on his face now mixing with his words, he averted any eye contact and fiddled with his hands  
“‘Big q’”  
Dream ran the words over in his mind, he recognized them, but wasn’t sure from where they came, as though on command Fundy spoke next  
“Quackity? You good man?”  
He didn’t know where that was from either, but at least now there was a name for the face; Dream turned to Quackity, who had the look of a man finally realizing he’s gone completely insane  
“You can see him, right?”  
Desperation tinted his tone, and if you payed enough attention you could hear his voice falter right at the last syllable.  
“Please, PLEASE tell me you can see him.”  
Tubbo and Fundy both shook their heads, almost in unison  
“See who? Quackity are you sure you’re ok”  
Tubbo nodded as Fundy said this, keeping relatively quiet himself however  
“I—you- It’s Dream...! Right there! He’s standing right over there, do you seriously not see him?!”  
Tubbo moved to pat Quackity on his good arm, accompanied with pitying gaze  
“Maybe you should take a nap, ok big man?”  
Quackity slapped his hand off, though the short burst of anger all seemed to go out along with the slap; a candle of fury which quickly died down seemingly as soon as it started and melted into pure and utter exhaustion; he slumped down significantly and mumbled a quick word of apology to Tubbo, who appeared visibly shaken by the sudden shift in moods  
“I might be tired, I’ll take a nap I guess, sorry”  
As he slunk off to his house, Dream followed, now intrigued, (and a little hurt) by that exchange.  
Meandering close behind quackity was some entertainment at least, looking around l’manberg was nice and seeing the improvements in even the short time he’d been gone was much fun; but it stung, he wondered if everyone had really been better without him. It was a possibility at least, he shrugged off this notion and kept along the path.

Jesus Christ how far was this mans home, Dream was tired and he wasn’t even really walking, steps felt like gliding on ice and yet his legs still ached as though he’d been running for hours; and if that wasn’t bad enough the SILENCE-it was getting to him, Quackity remained as quiet as snow, and Dream wasn’t sure who to talk to, seeing as no one else even gave him a glance. He’d had enough, any conversation was better than this silent yet peaceful tension.  
“Quackity? That’s your name right”  
Quackity startled, almost falling face first onto the path he darted back around to face Dream-who was looking smugly back at him.  
“WhAHHAA WHAT, you—you’re real, I’m not-Y’now...”  
“Yup, In the flesh”  
“W—ok no you’re not in the flesh, buddy.”  
Dream ignored this comment  
“So, have we met before or is there a different reason you’re shocked to see me?”  
Quackity blinked at this, he waved his hands absentmindedly  
“Yeah? I mean, we’ve—we’ve met, we were friends?”  
“What? Wait we were? When..?”  
Dream felt a wave of guilt wash over him, no idea who this guy was but they clearly knew eachother, and it was too late to pretend he recognized the other  
Quackity was still in shock, Dream figured he’d be seeing a lot of similar reactions, which he couldn’t say he looked forward too.  
“...we—Well we were friends for a while, then you fucked it up”  
Taken aback by the sudden gained aggression, Dream blinked  
“What?  
“You pushed everyone away dude, you seriously don’t remember?”  
“Oh, I’m sorry”  
“wHa—“ Quackity stammered, he couldn’t decide if he was sad or pissed off “you cant apologize if you don’t know what you’re sorry FOR.”  
Dream tilted his head “ok, then why are you mad? Like what did I forget here?”  
“ME, first of all, second...I—I don’t know man, you made everyone miserable for like no reason-George and Sapnap, Tommy, everyone. You had no reason to do like half the shit you did here”  
“What? What do you mean George and Sapnap? The only memory I have with them is...hm, George’s house being burnt down, I think.”  
“...ah. Huh”  
Quackity and Dream stood, opposite directions facing eachother, finally Quackity sighed  
“Jesus Christ-Ok, well, I can’t explain everything in detail. Basically You dethroned George and exiled Tommy, and the whole disc thing..and-wait”  
Dream looked expectantly, as Quackity stared him down  
“How did you..uh..die?” He reeled back at his own question, embarrassment creeping up on him as he glanced down  
“Oh, I-I’m not dead, permanently.”  
“What.”  
“Yeah, that’s actually why I was here, I needed help getting back to my body. It’s in the nether I think, I’ll just jump back in and be good as new.”  
“What.”  
“What?”  
Dream felt the heat rise, as Quackity pinched his brow-half frustrated half..pity? Dream couldn’t read this guys emotions if he tried  
“Do you...know how dying works?”  
“More than you probably.”  
“Mm, then why do you think it’s possible to do what you just said”  
“I’ve seen it in movies”  
“THAT’S POSSESSION NOT DEATH, DIPSHIT”  
The brow pinch had evolved into a full on facepalm, Dream, now determined to prove he knew what he was saying, fired back  
“How do you Know?? If I find where my body was and you use enough potions I’ll be good, you’ve never tried have you”  
“I don’t have to try to know that not how that shit works”  
“Coward”  
“Hu—HEY fuck you man! It’s not gonna work because you’ve already left your body, which is in fact dead, trying to possess it would be like trying to stick your dick in a pineapple: it looks like it could work but in the end you’ll just end up frustrated and sad.”  
Dream furrowed his brow, looking around in dismay, before turning his attention back to Quackity  
“Wha..- I— What?!”  
Unable to keep up the serious facade he had been masquerading, Quackity choked back a laugh, allowing the hand which had since been resting on his forehead to slip down and loosely cover a sheepish grin that had plastered itself onto his face; it was so awkward, and embarrassing too-but the humor of Dreams reaction made him keel over in a long drawn out wheeze. After a good minute of pause, Dream continued  
“That..that was a terrible analogy? What were you even trying to convey?? And—and for the last part..have you tried that? Why so specific??”  
Quackity was now fully doubled over-his shoulders shook and his hand clamped to his mouth as though it was a dam, like that was the only thing keeping him from bursting with laughter; he took about 3 minutes to compose himself, finally standing back up-albeit shakily, to clarify the earlier statement, the more serious tone from before was back as the conversation fell into a more somber mood  
“I—okokok, what I mean is, you can’t possess or ‘reinhabit’ the dead. That’s not how that works, you’ve already moved from your physical form and therefore you can’t really get back in. MAYBE if someone had been there right when you first died they could’ve brought you back but that clearly didn’t happen; I’m sorry.”

Dream knew, he knew all of this, but he didn’t want it to be true. Shaking his head he sighed wearily  
“Can’t we at least try?”  
Quackity’s expression softened, and his shoulders fell in pitying exasperation  
“We don’t even know how you died. Or when.”  
Dream bit how lip, deep in thought, he searched memories like moving boxes...then, finally he found something.  
“Lava.”  
“Huh?”  
“Lava I died in lava, Tommy dragged me in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YESSSS FINALLY I GET TO WRITE BIG Q  
> YO AMO ESO HOMBREEEEEEEEEEE


	5. Your Tommy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackity and Dream go on an adventure :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI sorry for the shorter chapter-this is mostly dialogue and stuff but I hope you like it regardless hahahhaahaaaA

“Wha..what?”  
Quackity chuckled, a nervousness taking root inside his gut, he didn’t know if he’d heard correctly  
God he hoped he hadn’t  
Dream, seemingly oblivious, looked towards a patch of grass  
“Yeah, he pulled me into the lava. I didn’t have time to realize what had happened I guess.”  
Dream turned back, but paused as he saw the other mans face fall, then contort into first shock, then realization, then utter horror.  
“He—oh my god”  
Dream nodded  
“He fell in”  
“He did, either that or he jumped.”  
“Oh my god.”  
Quackity stepped back, his eyes were widened and his mouth was slightly parted. Dream rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably  
“Did you know him too?”  
No response, but Quackitys shoulders tensed significantly  
Dream tried again, a little louder and more clearly annunciated, not sure if the other had heard him  
“Did you know Tommy?”  
Quackity shook his head, softly mouthing out a pained “Yes” in response  
“Oh”  
“Mm”  
“I’m sorry”  
Quackity started to speak but it fell flat, shaking his head yet again and plopping down on the grass lining the path; he simply buried his face in his palms and said nothing.  
“If It’s any condolences, he seems fine now”  
“He’s dead.”  
“That’s true. I was just trying to lighten the mood”  
“You’re not very good at it”  
“Sorry”  
The silence was back, Dream lingered uncomfortably as a man he’d just met sat beside him. Quackity wasn’t making any noise, save an occasional shaky breath, but Dream could glance a few tears roll down his cheeks. And so they sat, the sun was shining down and Dream could pick up on a few voices he recognized, but made no effort to follow them. \- Eventually, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, Quackity pulled himself up. He stood for a second to wait for the effects of standing too suddenly to wear off; before clearing his throat loudly  
“Ok, well.”  
He pursed his lips and decidedly turned to offer Dream a hand, before re-realizing the situation and pulling his arm away with a dry laugh. At least Dream had appreciated the gesture. He smiled and floated up to meet Quackitys eyes  
“Thank you”  
“No problem, I think?”  
Quackity exhaled through his nose, a pained expression across his face  
“I should find Tubbo”  
“Tubbo? Why?”  
“To tell him about Tommy..? I’d assume he wants to know”  
“Why not just have Tommy tell him?”  
“..Is Tommy here too??”  
“No, he’s with Technoblade”  
“WHAT?!”  
“What? Is that..bad?”

Quackity just squinted his eyes shut, running a spare hand through his hair. He was clearly stressed, Dream didn’t want to add to it.  
“Where is Techno”  
A light shrug from Dream caused Quackity to roll his eyes. Flipping open a map, Quackity pointed to a few areas-none getting a further reaction from the ghost  
“Ok, help me out here man- can you at least name the biome?”  
“Snow”  
With a nod of appreciation, Quackity narrowed his area of search; he finally settled his finger on a area of the map that got a noise of recognition from Dream.  
Quackitys mouth curved up slightly, his voice quavering with relief  
“Is-..is this the place??”  
Dream found the mans excitement infectious, he grinned-a sense of pride now present  
“Yeah! Yeah I think so!”  
“Holy shit. Finally!”  
Quackity hopped up, pumping his fist and folding the map back into his pocket. Before leaving Quackity made a detour to his house, emerging with a coat and bag slung across his shoulders; he’d brought a spare axe, but seeing as Dream was gonna be there for whatever would occur, he didn’t plan on using it unless it was absolutely necessary.  
They exited l’manberg, but before leaving Quackity decided to take something.  
He wasn’t sure if it was a bad move but he wanted to be accurate and it seemed useful, though a guilty feeling persisted in his gut  
.

The sun beamed down, and Dream trekked a few yards ahead, occasionally calling out about their surroundings from over his shoulder  
Quackity let the atmosphere surround him, tuning it out as he snapped open a compass-running his eyes over the two short words engraved deep into the metal  
“Your Tommy.”


	6. Off on an Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade gives permission, prepare for Tubbo, also Dream and Tommy aren’t blood siblings in this but honestly they should be

-

Techno wasn’t exactly sure what to do, he’d been waiting for Phil but he was beginning to worry this was one of his longer trips-Tommy was cuddled against him and looked as though he could be sleeping.  
Techno didn’t have the heart to move him, but the feeling of a ghost pressing against him was surreal  
This wasn’t helped by Tommy’s body temperature; it was like getting burnt alive but it left no marks or damage at all. Just emptiness.

12 hours passed, Techno worked to keep his eyes open, occasionally glancing to his side  
On one of these intervals he realized something that caused his blood to run cold.  
Tommy was there  
His head rested on Techno’s shoulder, his back held against the wall corner and one hand laying atop one knee.  
He was right there, Techno could feel him there, a physical entity.  
But before he could even begin to react to this, techno noticed the total lack of breath; Tommy’s chest was still, his mouth was parted slightly but there was no air coming in nor out  
The boy was cold.  
Techno covered his mouth, grimacing at what he knew was there  
It’s ok, it’s ok it’s just a figment it’s ok  
He repeated this over and over, rolling the thought on his tongue to get a feel for the affirmation  
It made sense  
He kept repeating the words  
Squinting his eyes as tightly shut as he could, Techno prayed it would go away  
He wasn’t a fan of ghosts, but it was better than this.  
Anything would be better than this.  
“Mmm Technoblade? Is your friend back yet”  
His eyes snapping open, Techno whipped his head around to the oh so familiar ghost he’d become unfortunately aquatinted with.

He shrugged at the question weakly.

No sign of Phil yet, Techno brewed a cup of tea as he sunk deeper in thought  
there was the familiar loud clinking of cups that would always make him flinch, he took a shallow, drawn out breath as he pulled out two mugs and set them next to him, tossing a floral scented tea bag into each.  
The sound of water bubbling was enough to alert the piglin, who reached for the floral kettle he had placed on the stovetop and poured water into both mugs.  
Waiting for it to brew, he marvelled at how quickly the water turned a warm golden tone.  
Techno swiped a spoon that had been sitting on the counter, stirring in a sizeable dollop of honey and humming a tune, he strode back over to where Tommy was waiting  
“I don’t know if you can drink, but here. If you can’t that’s fine too.”  
The piglin knew he hadn’t shed even a tear, but his voice was raw-he didn’t know why or how, but Tommy didn’t seem to notice so he shrugged it off as an effect of not speaking for as long as he did-it didn’t make much sense, but he didn’t have any better explanation for it.  
“Wow! Thanks big man”  
Tommy grabbed at the mug, cupping It his palms he looked almost alive, not quite but it was closer than comfort.  
Techno tried to forget the vision from earlier, even thinking of it made him feel sick.  
Surprisingly, Tommy could drink it, he grinned heartily and Techno shot back a small smile  
“It’s cool that dead people can drink hm? Not the full experience and I’m pretty sure it evaporates as soon as it makes contact, but still quite good! Thanks T man”  
Techno tried to force a cheerful expression, he hummed an acknowledgment of response  
After a minute or so he held the mug up to his lips, absentmindedly checking the drinking temperature  
unfortunately this was cut short, as a loud and sudden knock caused Techno to splash the contents onto himself  
“Ehhhg what the..Phil?”  
He near glided towards the doors, swinging them open  
It wasn’t Phil  
Oh nooooooo it definitely was not Phil  
Techno said nothing, simply shutting the door as though he’d seen an empty backdrop.

-

Quackity and Dream stood by the doors, both in total disbelief  
making direct eye contact-Technoblade, the blood god, the undying; had just shut the door in their face.  
“What the Fuck?!”  
Quackity snapped, quickly rapping his knuckles on the hardwood again, but no response.  
“I know you KNOW I know you’re in there.”  
The only sound was the soft wind whistling, the snow floated and coated Quackitys beanie  
Knocking again, Quackity scrunched his nose, he wasn’t a fan of...grovelling, but he didn’t have a choice.  
“Techno, Techno please-I don’t plan on hurting you, I just need to find Tommy. Dream said he was here.”  
Quackity leaned his head against the door, holding his breath in anticipation.

A minute passed

Just as they were preparing to give up, the door creaked open  
“Come in, but if you try anything, know I won’t hesitate to kill you.”  
Quackity and Dream sighed, relief washing over the both  
“Thank you so much, thank you.”  
Quackity clasped his hands together and entered.  
It was a nice place, the air was warm and smelled faintly of burning wood; a few pictures hung on the walls and a thick carpet was spread across the floor.  
Techno sat politely across from them, he hadn’t said much but the near death glare he was giving Quackity was enough incentive to choose words carefully. Eventually he decided flattery would be a good start, trying to push down the nervousness he spoke as kindly as he could muster.  
“Ummm...Hey, nice house man!”  
that didn’t seem to work, Techno scoffed  
“Why are you here, Quackity.”  
“For Tommy.”  
The piglin lowered his head in quiet irritation  
“Ok, yeah I know that, why EXACTLY”  
“...for Tommy?”  
“Jesus Christ. WHY do you need Tommy?”  
“Oh.”  
Quackity bit the tip of his tongue, before speaking again  
“Well, you see, Tubbo doesn’t know about...this” he gestured at Dream and Tommy, both of whom were making faces at eachother from across the room.  
“Oh, hm”  
Techno stroked his chin, seemingly somewhat troubled  
“That’s an issue. Do you plan on taking him back to l’manberg?”  
“Yeah? Unless you would rather have Tubbo in your secret woodland cabin”  
“I would not”  
“Ok, then yeah, he’d be brought to l’manberg.”  
Techno grimaced at this, he fiddled at his hands and exhaled through his nose  
“How long will you be gone?”  
“Just...like a few days probably?”  
Quackity raised a brow  
“Why? Do you have a deadline?”  
Techno nodded  
“Ah.”  
Quackity’s interest was peaked, he leaned forward  
“Wait why? For what? Are you...planning..something?”  
he regretted this almost instantly though, as it seemed to strike a nerve in the man sitting only a yard away  
“Uh—sorry I mea-“  
He was cut off by Techno, his tone had changed; the intimidating nature and almost unnatural calmness was gone, and what remained was more one of a man barely holding it together  
“Phil’s gonna be back soon.”

Quackity couldn’t say he liked Technoblade, hell he’d even go as far as to say he hated the man; but that one simple statement broke his heart.  
It wasn’t exactly the words, though they certainly weren’t helping-It was the way they were said though, that’s what got to him.  
He didn’t know Phil very well, nor did he know Techno (the man was basically dressed head to toe in mystery and an ominous feeling Quackity could never shake) but he did know they were close friends, and he knew Phil had two sons: Wilbur and Tommy.  
Wilbur and Tommy were now both dead.  
He’d picked up the subtle desperation hinted in Technos words  
“He’ll be back soon”  
“Goddammit he better come back soon”

He’d been gone awhile, probably.

If that wasn’t enough, there was a waver, a shakiness he’d never heard in the man. He was capable of tearing a nation down to its feet, he’d defeated Dream-DREAM. He seemed to know no fear, and never once broke a sweat. Everything he did was methodical and strategic.  
The blood god, if you will. 

Yet here he was, stuck waiting for his friend to return-hoping his friend would return.  
Quackity felt bad. It was weird, he wasn’t a fan of the feeling cast upon him.  
Techno finally cleared his throat, A blush tinting his cheeks-it was barely noticeable but it was there.  
“Anyway.”  
Quackity blinked, released from the guilty trance he’d been set in  
“Anyway.”  
“Do you have an exact time of how long you plan on takin’ him”  
Quackity hummed, thinking of a good time to settle on  
“Maybe like..3?”  
“3 days?”  
“Is that too long?”  
Techno shook his head  
“Nah, that’s fine, but promise it’ll only be 3.”  
“Promise.”

-

Tommy, Dream, and Quackity were now venturing back to l’manberg. Tommy and Dream fighting in the back as Quackity tried his best to ignore them-they were on a tight schedule after all.  
As they left the snow region, Tommy finally asked Quackity a question extending beyond “are we there yet”  
he drifted in front of him and tilted his head  
“By the way, big Q, where are we going?”  
“L’manberg”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HNNH I Like writing techno and his stupid log cabin like yeaaaah i bet uou like that tea brew it cmon, I wanna describe honey in way more detail than it needs to be described in


	7. The weeping of those lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo finds some not so great news, r u h r o h

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ow ok so this one hurt, I feel bad, smp tubbo deserves better. But hey! Big q! Haha!

-

L’maberg was surprisingly easy to find, Quackity had marveled this as they wandered along the grass.  
“So why are we here again?” Tommy questioned this for the fifth or so time that hour. Simply letting out an irritated sigh, Quackity answered for the fifth or so time that day  
“To see Tubbo.”  
“Ok, who is that then?”  
That...was a new response.   
Both Quackity and Dream stopped suddenly, Quackity spinning around quickly on his heel   
“What the fuck do you mean ‘who’s Tubbo’?! Do you seriously not remember??”  
Dream remained quiet, Tommy shrunk down slightly as he recognized anger in the others words  
“I’m sorry?” His voice was small and guilty, as though he’d broken a vase or upset his mother.  
Quackity held a pained expression, he shrugged-the exhausted anger bubbling out as he failed to find words of comfort.

They just remained quiet, heavy air surrounding them.  
Quackity was focusing on keeping his pace steady, Dream floating beside him rather slowly

He was further from the ground.

Breaking the silence, though definitely not lighting the mood-Dream muttered something under his breath; it was barely audible.  
“What was that?” Quackity leaned in   
“I don’t want to be here anymore”  
His voice was still condensed to a hush, but it was at least an understandable one.  
“Oh, ok, you can wait behind if you want?”   
Dream didn’t respond, but continued alongside the other-though falling back considerably.

-

Leaning against a building, Tubbo fidgeted with his suit collar. He had been worried about Quackity; their last interaction being...strange to say the least. Shortly after he’d seen the guy packing a bag and talking to air. It was extremely odd.   
He hadn’t seen him since that, which sparked a hint of evergrowing worry. He decided if Quackity was gone for 8 more hours he’d call a search  
Fortunately for him, this was not necessary, as Quackity appeared before him-something Tubbo couldn’t quite make out behind the others shoulder  
“Big Q! Whats up? I was really worried you Know—“   
“Tubbo, I’m sorry. There’s someone you should probably see...” he hesitated on this, before speaking again; painfully aware of the way his voice broke   
“I don’t know what to do, dude.”  
Tubbo shifted uncomfortably where he stood, tilting his head   
“Ah..what is it?”  
He watched as Quackity stepped to the side, revealing an all to clear apparition

“T-“ Tubbo slapped his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide with silent horror 

“Yo—you”  
The ghost glanced around awkwardly, he eventually settled on smiling and giving a thumbs up  
This did not help matters  
Tubbo wasn’t really thinking about his movement, his eyes set on his best friend who was now very clearly confused; he found himself backing against the buildings side and sliding down to his knees. He couldn’t tell if he was crying or not.   
Tommy decided he must’ve been important, seeing as this was the third(?) time some had reacted like this. He didn’t feel too proud of it though, seeing as a boy he didn’t recognize-but who definitely recognized him, was now sobbing loudly in front of him.   
“I’m sorry man, um—i-is there anything I can do to help?”  
The sobbing continued, now attracting several other residents who all headed over in a panicked rush; before Tommy knew what was happening he was surrounded by a myriad of faces he couldn’t even begin to name.   
All of them saw him, and all of them wore the same brand of horror that the first boy had.  
Quackity was yelling something, but it was drowned out by screams and sobs emerging from the crowd  
He pivoted to face Tommy, before pausing, a wave of realization-then gut wrenching dread  
Where was Tommy.   
The youngest had been standing right next to the him-yet he was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Dream now that Quackity thought about it. He cleared his throat in preparation   
“GUYS. SHUT UP.”   
It hurt his throat, but it did the job, as everyone went quiet. He surveyed the area before deciding that yes-they had fully vanished.  
Quackity pulled Tubbo to his feet and broke into a jog-the other boy attempting to find footing as he was dragged unceremoniously behind  
They arrived at an an area along the outskirts of l’manberg, Tubbo was in a crying panic but any word was lost before he could even outsource it to his vocal cords. Quackity on the other hand was very vocal, though seemed to share the same panicked nature as Tubbo   
“Listen, Tommy and Dream disappeared, I didn’t—I didn’t want this to go down like this, Im sorry, I’m really sorry”  
He apologized profusely, over and over as Tubbo looked for words, any words, to say here. His heart was beating like a jackrabbit and his breaths were shallow and shaky, he searched and searched for what to say but he just..couldn’t. He covered his eyes with his palms and sunk into Quackity’s chest; muffled heavy sobs escaping him. 

Quackity didn’t exactly know how to handle this-on one hand, Tommy and Dream; on the other, crying child. He swallowed and wrapped his arms around the president, who’s body was shaking like a leaf.   
They didn’t move for what felt like hours, Tubbo cried until his voice was completely gone and Quackity just sat through it.   
As the sun dipped behind the horizon, Tubbo finally fell asleep. Glancing toward l’manberg and then toward where he’d walked back-Quackity made another decision. He found himself making a lot of those recently.  
He was careful not to wake the boy, obtaining a boat and gliding gently through open waters  
He was going back to Technoblades house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this made me sad, but Im excited to write the next chapter! I don’t wanna spoil anything but just remember the promise big q made to techno earlier


	8. Unknown location

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno and Quackity team up pog?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt longer but I have no idea if it actually is, but I had fun!!

Venturing up to Techno’s home with Tubbo was a gentle journey, at least in comparison to the constant bickering of Dream and Tommy that Quackity had grown accustomed to. Maybe it was because he took a boat.  
They rowed across the water, moonlight illuminated the waves and water lapped against the wooden boat.   
Quackity had taken off his jacket to serve as a makeshift blanket for Tubbo-who was sleeping rather peacefully all things considered; Quackity couldn’t say he was surprised, the younger had torn at his vocal cords for hours with seemingly no end. 

As they approached the area where you had to trek on foot, Quackity stifled a groan. He wasn’t sure how to get Tubbo there through the piercing cold without waking him-though Quackity supposed he didn’t have much of a choice. 

Lifting Tubbo up was harder than one would have thought, he wasn’t heavy by any means, but he was still definitely a 17 year old-Quackity fell back and almost near dropped the boy into the snow, though he managed to catch himself it did startle Tubbo; he rubbed his eyes and mumbled something.   
Quackity’s heart skipped a beat at this, he inhaled sharply and hoisted the now half asleep president atop his shoulders   
Tubbo pushed off slightly, causing Quackity to startle and nearly face plant into the ice  
“I can walk”   
Tubbo’s speech was slurred, but it was understandable, Quackity nodded and set him down as gently as he could   
“Ok, you sure?”  
“Mm”  
“Ok, well Im gonna hold your hand so you don’t..Like..get lost and freeze.”  
“Mm” he nodded and they began walking

The wind whipped at Tubbos face, it stung a little but he was too focused on moving his legs forward to notice. Eventually they saw a dim light casting shadow in the distance  
“There It is!” Quackity grinned and tugged Tubbo forward-still making sure he didn’t hurt the boy, but attempting to rush him along  
They jogged toward where the light emitted, The light shone a warm golden color and illuminated a log cabin. Quackity knocked politely on the door, aware of the time but too tired and desperate to care.  
He waited a second before not so politely pounding his fists against the poor thing  
He was about to start full on yelling when he heard someone hurriedly make their way over, swinging it open full force

-

Techno had expected this, but he was hoping it would’ve been Phil, that was why he’d so uncharacteristically ran to the door-only to be met with the sheepish grin of the 5’7 nuisance that had gotten entangled in his personal life. He let his face fall with visible disappointment, simply gesturing inside and lighting a lamp.

They sat, both on the couch this time, though Quackity had positioned himself on the arm rather than the actual cushions.   
Techno was the first to speak   
“Ok, why are you here now.”  
“I needed to get Tubbo somewhere, also I need your help” he nodded his head to Tubbo, who was curled up under a blanket in Phil’s rocking chair  
Techno ran his hand over his face, rubbing sleep from under his eyes   
“Mmkay, why do you need my help.”  
“I lost Tommy and Dream”  
Snapping out of his barely awake trance, Techno straightened his back  
“What?!”   
His voice was hushed but he didn’t try to hide the fury lacing it, Quackity flinched and avoided eye contact   
“I—I didn’t mean to—I was in l’manberg and everyone started crowding when they realized Tommy was...Ynow.. so I tried to get everyone to calm down but Tommy and Dream were already gone.”  
The piglin clenched and unclenches his fist, slouching back as he decided not to act with violence just yet. The younger man seemed genuinely concerned, and besides that he could be the only lead.  
Choosing his words carefully, Techno spoke   
“Well. Where do you think they went?”  
“I don’t know man, I came here because...I just knew I had to I guess. You found them here right?”  
“Who told you that?”  
“Dream and Tommy.”  
“Mm..well, yes, I did. I don’t see how that’s relevant though”  
“Maybe they spawned here?”  
“I—“  
Techno paused to think this over, it didn’t...not.. make sense.   
“They could have.”  
“So maybe they’re somewhere near here”  
“that would make sense.”  
Quackity nodded, he hadn’t expected Techno to agree, but he was glad that he did.

“Either that or they’re in the nether”  
“WHAT.”

-

Techno and Quackity had left the house 3 hours ago, searching every neck of the woods with no luck, they were beginning to think about the possibility of a nether visit  
Techno kicked at a particularly large pile of snow, accompanying this action with a frustrated grunt. They looked at eachother; there was no sign of either ghosts and deep down they had an idea of where they’d have to go  
Neither wanted to be the one bringing it up though, It’s not that they hated the nether, It’s just that they didn’t exactly enjoy spending extended periods of time there. 

It was actually Techno who made the decision to lead them in, after finding that searching every tree in the vicinity was more of a nightmare than dying in lava.   
“Are you sure? Like sure-sure? Like really really su-“  
Quackity was pulled into the portal before he could finish his thought-yelping in terror as he felt the portal rip apart and then put back together every molecule in his body; though the pain was gone as soon as it started, he was still left shaking and rubbing his arm  
he didn’t know how people got used to this.  
“Ok, so Dream mentioned being pulled in lava by Tommy, if we can find their bridge then we’re good I think”  
This was met with a gasp, and then a forehead slap from Technoblade, he tilted his head up and groaned   
“They had a nether portal, and we didn’t..use it....”  
“Ah. Yeah that’s true, we didn’t.”  
“Oh my god.”  
The piglin trudged along, occasionally slashing a mob or building a bridge. They wandered for awhile before noticing a different portal off in the far distance  
Quackity chuckled  
“Huh...well I think we found the bridge!”  
This was met with another drawn out groan from the other party  
They kept moving at a slightly quicker pace, Quackity trying to make small talk and promptly being ignored.  
Still moving along  
Quackity, looked at the lava, his face darkening as the bubbles popped below   
“Do you think Tommy fell in?”  
This actually caught Techno off guard, coming to a sudden halt but keeping his head turned away from Quackity   
“I don’t know. Probably, I don’t think Dream pushed him.”  
“That’s not what I mean”  
“...”  
They kept walking, Quackity didn’t ask anymore questions after that. 

As they reached the portal, the thin twisting bridge became apparent as well. It was cobblestone, below was a hole-presumably for mining, and the end of the path was too far off to be seen.

“We’re here!”  
Techno nodded and Quackity avoided reaching for a high-five, instead slapping his own hand.  
They walked in single file, avoiding the certain death waiting below; they found themselves about halfway down the bridge before both froze  
They heard someone, they couldn’t make out the voice but it sounded like whoever it was, was weeping.


	9. Nether trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno and Quackity find someone, but it might not be who they expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY SORRY SHORT CHAPTER, ALSO LATE CHAPTER, I HAD STUFF TO DO W FAMILY AND NEW YEAR AND SO I WAS A LITTLE SLOWED SORRY 
> 
> Might post two chapters tonight? The next is way longer, this one is just short because I was at a good cliffhanger hAaa

-

Techno and Quackity shot a look at eachother, before sprinting toward the noise-neither caring to look out for the lava below.   
Skidding to a halt and almost toppling off the bridge, Quackity was the first to make it to the person; unfortunately he nor techno had correctly guessed the individual, and Quackity was the first to realize this as he felt himself slam into the cobblestone.  
His hearing muffled and he felt something-probably blood, trickle down his forehead.   
It went dark, he tried to make out what had just happened but before he could see the attackers face he slipped into unconsciousness.

-

Techno had lagged behind, he hadn’t accounted for how small and nimble Quackity was, and so consequently was left in the dust.  
He jogged across, he’d only heard one voice, so it had to be one of the ghosts.  
He didn’t know who he was hoping it’d be.  
Lost in thought, he began trying to reason which would be better-on one hand, Dream was probably more useful for finding Tommy, on the other Tommy might know more about the environment they were in, (or how they both met their fates there)   
He didn’t have long to ponder this though, as he heard a sudden cry and then a loud, jarring, THUD. Techno dropped the internal conversation he’d been having and ran over to find Quackity, he was sprawled out on the bridge and blood was forming on his head; Techno stifled a gasp and bent down to help the man, but as he did this he heard frantic apologizing from a more familiar voice.  
Looking up he froze, he couldn’t seem to find words, his mouth was hanging open and suddenly every limb felt like jelly.  
There stood Philza.  
Techno soon after felt a wave of overwhelming relief, then guilt. He scooped up Quackity and met eyes with his friend  
“Phil..?”  
The blonde blinked before breathing shakily and falling into Techno’s cloak. He didn’t respond after that.

Techno was never an emotional person, he didn’t get worried often, or at least if he did it was quickly pushed down.   
But this was different, as he noticed a pool of blood forming where his oldest friend lay, he knew that if he wasn’t back to his cabin in time he might never see the other again.  
Holding both Quackity and Phil tightly, he ran home.


	10. Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil won’t wakey up so unpoggers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another sorta short chapter I’m sorry   
> This is just quackity being vaguely uncomfortable and techno being vaguely distressed

-

He arrived back before dark, which he figured was a good thing. No mobs means less time wasted.

Laying the two on he and Phil’s respective beds, though in a panic he managed to get Quackity onto Phil’s bed, and Phil onto the other. He figured this would be mildly amusing when Phil woke up.  
When.  
Surveying the injuries, he sustained that they wouldn’t be fatal if he got the right treatment; a few burns and a stab wound he could see through looked bad, but Techno had seen similar if not worse, and they lived.  
Nodding to himself, he got to working quickly.  
First was a healing potion, that was obvious, he kept a regen sat on a table next to him in case.   
Next up was ointment, and maybe another healing splash potion applied directly to the wound.   
Then stitches.   
Techno groaned, he hated stitches, but he didn’t have a choice. He’d fix it later with an actual medical professional but for now this would have to do. He had a book on stitching wounds somewhere. 

It was surreal, he got it done carefully but it felt...bad. He didn’t like seeing Phil like this, he didn’t like it at all.   
Sitting down he splashed a few more drops of healing along where he’d sewn up the wound.

Now for Quackity;   
He turned to face the younger of the three, who at That moment lay stretched out in a similar position to how he was when he’d first been K.O’d by Phil-he didn’t look to be in any danger of losing his life but Techno didn’t wanna take chances. The man was useful, and plus while he didn’t want to admit it, Techno had grown just a little attached to him.

“Ok, this isn’t gonna sting a lot don’t worry; you probably won’t wake up for it anyway”  
He felt dumb, Techno scoffed at himself as he dabbed a mix of healing potion and bactine on where the injury was.  
He wrapped a bandage around Quackity’s head, before leaving the room to get a pot of water going.

He wasn’t worried about the state of the younger, he’d woken up about 1 minute after being knocked unconscious, but Techno had told him to close his eyes and try to save his energy.  
Phil, however...  
He tried to avoid thinking about it, pouring all his energy to healing his friend and keeping on Quackity-as while he was fine enough the head damage and added effect of healing potions made him too loopy to stand properly.

-

Days passed, weeks even. Quackity was on his feet again, but Phil had yet to gain consciousness   
Techno was getting worried.  
He spent most days sitting beside his friend, and when he wasn’t doing that he was just staring out the window. Quackity was either hanging out with Tubbo, or looking for Dream and Tommy-though without much luck finding the two.   
This went on for months, a routine was forming and the days started to blend.  
Eventually Quackity sat next to Techno, the piglin seemed borderline depressed and he was getting a little concerned; so he sat. Not too close, maybe three...four feet away, and neither said a word. Techno seemed almost in a daze, and Quackity didn’t even know what he’d say. 

“What if he dies”  
“What?”  
Quackity turned at the words uttered by the other, Techno didn’t look at him, It wasn’t really a question.  
“What if he dies Quackity.”  
Techno gripped at his shirt, still gazing slightly downward  
“...that won’t happen, he’ll be fine.”  
“What if he isn’t. What if he dies.”  
The words just kept repeating, Techno spoke like a broken record. His voice held a forced evenness and his hands now held a grip on the shirt so hard that his knuckles lost color.  
“Quackity I’m serious, what if he dies.”  
Quackity stammered, unsure of how to respond.  
“I—I don’t know? Maybe he’ll become a ghost? Y’now, Like Will, or Dream and Tommy.”  
Upon hearing Technos breathing hitch, Quackity regretted his choice of words  
“I um..I mean, like—“  
“If he dies all my family will be gone”  
“Oh...”  
“All my family will be..—“  
A quiet, hushed sob escaped the piglins throat  
Quackity’s heart sank into his stomach.

“Oh god. Oh god Quackity I—I will have no one.”  
Technos eyes shone and more tears threatened to escape them, he seemed to be making an attempt to mask it, but it didn’t work   
“Wilbur, Tommy, Phil, even Dream. I’m going to have nobody.”  
A forced, almost pitiful laugh bubbled up from his chest, Techno kneeled over the bed Phil lay on; quickly pressing his face deep into the mattress he didn’t try to conceal the fact that he was shaking  
Quackity reached his hand only to immediately shove it down to his side, a light slap accompanying the action.  
This wasn’t anything big, it wasn’t even consequential. And yet, something about it, be it triggering a buried memory, or just giving a similar effect to pressing a button-Techno began to cry  
It was as though the dam he’d build had finally broken, waves of heavy sobs came loose.

Quackity stood in shock, he didn’t have the slightest idea of what to do, paralyzed by a mixture of guilt and sorrow; he listened as the piglin spoke between shaking breaths  
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do, Quackity.  
I’m really not ready to be alone again.”

-

Techno had fallen asleep, looking down and laying a blanket over him, it was almost surreal.  
Was this the man Quackity feared?   
He walked out the door with a coat and a few weapons. He needed to find Dream and Tommy, no matter what happened.


	11. Dappled sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are back theyare back th

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVWNT UPDATED IN SO LONG IM SO SORRY IM HALF ASLEEEP SO I SORTS RUSHED THIS BUT I AM SORRY

Dream and Tommy were actually...not that hidden. They had materialized in a field by the river leading back to l’manberg, a small tent and a log residing amongst flowers and dew sprinkled grass  
“This is nice, do you recognize this place?”

Dream couldn’t place why, but it made him feel..off. He shrugged, vaguely looking past the tent and into a line of trees stretching into hills 

“I don’t know. Kind of?”

“Kind of?” Tommy echoed 

Dream shrugged again, which warranted an exasperated eye roll from Tommy  
“Boyyyyy you’re really useful to have around big man, you know that?”

Sneering, Dream adopted a mocking tone set to match that of Tommy’s  
“Oh please, at least I actually have some idea of this place.” 

“Hey, It’s not my fault I don’t remember random shit, I’m literally dead-maybe you should have thought that before you made fun of me, dick.”  
Dream scoffed, continuing to walk along the grass, his mere presence felt as though it was enough to singe the blades of grass below his feet-he wondered if Tommy felt the same, but not wanting to ask, he figured he’d leave it and if it came up then that was fine.

They continued walking, and he ignored the feeling of despair that jabbed at him whenever he noticed that he left no footprints.

—

Tommy, despite outward demeanour, was also surrounded by a blanket of discomfort caused by the area.   
The grass popped underneath his feet, water and fire mixing and becoming intertwined-though upon further inspection, Tommy noticed that the grass was never burnt, it was just him.  
He thought to tell Dream about this, but decided against it out of fear he’d get teased for how bad of a ghost he was.

So they walked   
Both holding the same doubt, but neither acknowledging it. 

.

Tommy lulled his head back, groaning with a pained expression painted across his face 

“I’m so BOREEEEED”

Dream laughed at this, grinning sheepishly at the boy as they walked through the oak trees and still shining grass  
“Yeah, well, that’s not my issue is it.”

“It will be if I continue to be bored.” Tommy rolled malice through his words, though it didn’t work in any sense of the intent. Dream laughed again, harder even.

“Yoooou are so talking out of your ass” 

“I’m not, you’ll regret fucking with me when—“  
Dream let out a wheeze, grinning ear to ear as he spoke   
“When what, Tommy? Wha—what the hell do you even think you can do??”

“I—um..”

Tommy’s loss for a rebuttal just caused the other to laugh louder, as they ventured through the dappled forest, rays of sun shining softly through the spaces between leaves.  
It was peaceful.

Then they reached the portal, purple dancing across the grass and illuminating both ghosts; the sun had set and and stars dusted the sky.

Tommy waved his hand at the portal in front of them, admiring the newfound luminescence that both had stumbled into; Dream on the other hand, was stood in stunned silence.

Tommy must’ve noticed, as he frowned and gestured to the portal  
“What’s up green boy?”  
He chuckled to himself, but the longer Dream stood there, the more concern made It’s way to Tommy’s head.  
“Big D?”  
Suddenly, a voice neither recognized, it pierced through the crisp air and located Dream and Tommy   
“What are you doing?”


End file.
